The Portrayl of Women in Religious Text (Koran and Bible)

The Portrayal of Women in Religious Texts Socrates said it best when he said, “The only true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing.” As a class, we have dissected the identity and purpose of women throughout religious text. With the plethora of religions nowadays it is hard to decipher and conclude your own beliefs. I have gained knowledge of the identity of women in the Book of Genesis within the Holy Bible as well as other texts such as in the Book of Judaism. In these books and throughout the language of these books, it is clear that the masculine and feminine elements were not equally represented. In the book of Genesis the language used describes the creator’s creation of man as superior of all things and then he also includes women. Some might say that women were just an add-on. God created men in the image of himself and with that creation he developed women as well. “And God said; Let us make man in our image after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female image, created he them.” (Genesis i: 26, 27). There is a great stress throughout the book on the importance of reproduction. This is why I believe, based on religious texts, that the role of women within these texts is so significant. Without women there would be no reproduction. Reproduction has been defined as the procreation of God’s sons and daughters. I believe that women are defined as vessels for the offspring of God. I believe that by being vessels women fulfill a prophecy. Men are the other proponent in this equation. Without men there too would be no reproduction. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the

Cited: "Genesis." Holy Bible, Giant Print Deluxe Edition: King James Version. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2000. et al. Print. unkn. "Lilith and Eve in the Later Tradition." An Anthology of Sacred Texts By and About Women 1994 publication.. New York: Crossroad,1994, 1994. 5-7. Print. .